Open Styles Dance Competition

Str8jacket and World of Dance Bay Area invites you to compete at our Open Styles Dance Competition (OSDC)! Battle your way to the top against some of the best dancers in the Bay Area. The final two competitors will then get to show off their skills on our main stage for the chance to win $300! ($150 for second place)

WOD OSDC event is endorsed by H.E.R. Principles, through Honor, Empowerment and respect promoting accountability, awareness and equality for womxn within the urban dance community.

For updates on the Open Styles Dance Competition, go to our Facebook event

FEATURED TALENT

Competition Rules

The Open Styles Dance Competition (OSDC) is open for all types of solo dancers. There will be a host, a DJ and three judges with a diverse perspective on various genres of dance. Styles welcome in the battle include, but are not limited to: Krump, Locking and Popping, Hip-Hop, and Waacking. For the Open Styles battle, we will not be catering music to your specific style, but all styles are welcome!

* Note: Food and water are allowed in lobby area (not in the theater), there is water machine onsite for you to re-fill your bottle 🌱

SAFETY GUIDELINES

Please respect one another. Any violation of personal space, touching, display of sexually derogatory gestures that perpetuate oppression towards women and queer folx, or other acts of disrespect will lead to immediate disqualification from the battle. Since different cultures are coming together in an open styles battles, these are boundaries that we want to establish for the safety of all our dancers.

BATTLE RULES & STRUCTURE

All participants must purchase a GA ticket for WOD Bay Area. ($20 discount promo code available to participants who pre-register through the link above.)

1 Hour Before OSDC (2:00 PM)

Participants may purchase GA tickets for WOD Bay Area at the venue and register to battle day of the event

All participants must sign liability waivers

Open cypher

**The OSDC will begin at 3:00PM.**

Qualifier Rounds

Each dancer will have 30-45 seconds to freestyle, and the order will be determined by order of registration. MC will call each dancer up.

The three judges will give each dancer a score from 1-10, with 1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest.

**10 min break to determine which dancers qualify for the following round. The MC will announce dancers with the top 16 combined scores from all three judges (30 point max), and they will move onto next rounds.**

Top 16

A bracket with 8 pairings will be generated by randomly drawing names.

Each dancer will have 30-45 seconds to freestyle. Order of performance will be determined by spinning a bottle.

Judges will vote by pointing after both dancers have performed. The dancer with more votes will advance to the next round.

In the case of a tie, both dancers will have 30-45 seconds each to perform again until a winner is decided.

**10 min break**

Top 8 & 4

Each dancer will battle twice. Each dancer will have 30-45 seconds per battle.

Judges will vote by pointing after both dancers have performed. The dancer with more votes will advance to the next round.

In the case of a tie, both dancers will have 30-45 seconds each to perform again until a winner is decided.

The Top 2 dancers will advance to the final round and compete on the main stage.

Final 2 (est. 8:40PM - 9:00PM)

OSDC Judges will showcase on the main stage

The top two will battle twice on the main stage. Each dancer will have 45-60 seconds per battle.

After the top two perform, judges will compare notes and decide the winner.

In the event of a tie, another round of dancing will be added until the judges have chosen a winner.

The winner will be announced on stage and presented $300 USD and an Open Style Battle trophy / certificate.

Second place will be announced on stage and presented $150 USD

Honor. Empower. Respect. (HER)

Over the last decade, the hip hop, urban dance and club culture scenes have multiplied exponentially in the strength of womxn and feminine identified dancers. With styles such as house, b-girling, popping, waacking, hustle, locking and vogue being the gateway to where women & queer folx are able to hold space confidently and express freely in cyphers or events.

Within the hip hop and urban dance communities womxn do however still struggle for a voice and an equal level of respect. The purpose of H.E.R. was created as a response and is becoming a movement in its own right.

The principles are to promote accountability, awareness and equality for womxn and their allies. We strive to remain an open community which fosters discussions among a diverse group of people and these 3 words are simple yet powerful.

*These principles are ever-evolving principles as which the community see fit.

Becoming a H.E.R. advocate creates opportunities for self-awareness as well as broad societal awareness during battles, competitions, cyphers/sessions, and nightclub settings. These principles open up the opportunity of change to advance the respect, dignity and human rights for those who identify as a female, femme, girl, lady, queen, et al.

Applying H.E.R. creates integrity for the individual, can help people be more accountable as well as a create a space to ask for care. Even if we like the same music and the same dance styles, we are all still very different. In the bigger picture, H.E.R. is a simple reminder of how to treat each other all of the time.

HONOR

Listen and engage. Participate in conversation and ask questions.

Give space for one to speak (be it verbally or through movement/dance).

Create the capacity for active conscious involvement (acknowledging what needs to be done for yourself or others by setting boundaries.)

Due Diligence: Learn about and pay homage to the womxn / feminine powers that came before/paved the way in the dance scene locally and abroad..

EMPOWER

Create an environment where people are equipped and encouraged to make decisions in autonomous ways and to feel that they are in control of the outcomes for which they are responsible.

Define your own womanhood / manhood / non-binaryhood.

Do not let stereotypes shape your actions.

See and acknowledge the potential and gifts in others. Allowing others to shine does not diminish your own light!

RESPECT

Be respectful of others’ physical space.

Consent should not be assumed.

Respect boundaries be it verbal, physical or emotional.

Be kind and compassionate.

Speak out against injustice. If you see a womxn being harassed or treated less equally, act on it.

BE THE EXAMPLE. The community will recognize it, younger dancers will see it, learn and do.

Ami "Tsunami" Ferreira

About the Founder: Ami "Tsunami" Ferreira, a Bay Area native, is a multifaceted artist who has performed and shared her passion through dance and art for over 35 years. She has been recognized as a one of the pioneering women club dancers on the West Coast. As a cultural diplomat and educator, she nurtures club culture and freestyle dance movement world-wide and has co-produced events for R16 USA, All the Way Live and Bay Area House Dance Festival. Tsunami was the recipient of the 2017 Alameda County Arts Leadership Award and is also a core member of All The Way Live Foundation. In 2018 she was an educator for the Next Level USA program in Yangon, Myanmar teaching a curriculum focused on freestyle and cypher culture. She recently created H.E.R. Principles, to provide a network of support and promote equality for womxn within the hip hop and urban dance communities. Tsunami hopes that her passion and experience for cultural diplomacy, artistic expression, leadership and her strong commitment to Hip Hop and Club Culture will inspire others to build and expand the common ground we share, be it dance, art or music.